Dee Discusses: The Following 1.10

Previously on The Following the FBI were good at their job for one episode. That’s how long it lasted. Joe Carroll is a serial killer, he’s got a cult following, blah blah blah. I think I’m done explaining the show every week. If you watch the show you know the deal. Mike is also missing from this episode, most likely healing from being beaten nearly to death before. Ryan has this certainty he’s cursed because everyone dies around him. His parents and brothers are dead, although I’d like to point out his sister’s still fine. And we meet his bestie Tyson this week who is also still alive(ish). I think he’s just being dramatic. Ryan’s a dramatic guy. He and Joe are similar that way. So last week we found out that they were zeroing in on Claire, and Joe tells Roderick if he doesn’t get Claire this week, he’s failed him for the last time. He’ll probably have to do an “I want my life to mean something” suicide scene. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that Roderick isn’t a disciple that way. He seems way too confident and aggressive to be swayed by Joe. I think that’s going to be a problem for Joe sooner rather than later.

So right away Ryan insists on them telling him where Claire is, and the FBI finally agrees. He is sent to her safe house and he explains what happened with the other Claires. She’s horrified, as he expected, and would have turned herself in to stop it. This self-sacrificing thing she’s got going for her comes into play later. Roderick and his goons find her and kill all the FBI guys. Listen I think this show is not doing a great job of showing the FBI as a competent law group. I get that they were red shirts, but I would usually think that witness protection agents would be at least as lethal as the killers. They barely seem to blink as they mow through them. But Ryan’s an actual threat? And Tyson? Side eye, show. Ryan grabs Claire and they go running to his friend Tyson. He’s in witness protection too of a sort, people think he’s dead and he wants to stay that way. He says no one could possibly find him … which of course means they’ll find him soon. They do because Claire got tagged with a bug. SERIOUSLY GUYS? NO ONE THOUGHT TO LOOK JUST IN CASE? Okay capslock off.

While at Tyson’s, he talks about Ryan’s obsession with being an angel of death and his love for Claire. He tried to date one girl after her, Molly, but it didn’t work out because Claire is his one true loooove. She confesses to Ryan her feelings and he says the same, right about the time Roderick and co. come in. Tyson’s pretty badass so he kills one of them and stands his ground. He gets shot and he’s still like I’ve got a shotgun, mofos, bring it. I like that guy. I’m also glad that he survives this episode. He’s the same guy from Dexter who played Angel, and I liked him on there too. He has this natural warmth about him. Roderick tells Claire no one else has to die and if she gives herself over, he’ll take her to Joey. Of course this is Claire who already went with the kidnappers once for a chance to get Joey, so this can be absolutely zero surprise she does now too. The problem is this is going to be a lot scarier for her since they have a damn creepy house now. Oh man I am not looking forward to seeing what happens to Claire once she sees Joe again. I shudder to think about it.

On Joe’s side, he manages to bond with Joey a little by pretending he doesn’t know how to make a s’more and the boy helps him. Was that last week? Damn I don’t remember. Anyway Jacob is there and still pissed after being forced to mercy kill Paul. He hallucinates him walking around in a towel and this is completely fine with me, let’s just have an entire episode of him walking around in a towel. Ahem. Jacob is having none of Emma’s shit about her reasons for leaving them. Joe talks to him and asks him to forgive her. Jacob seems to give in and start having sex with her, but in the middle he freaks out and envisions Paul again. He stabs the hell out of invisible Paul and seems to be past his fear of killing people. Which is not a good sign for Emma. He says he “has a taste for it now” when he grabs her and explains what happened to Paul. She is freaked out. Dude you’re the one who stabbed Paul once over jealousy with Jacob. Now your sweet little boyfriend is learning from your bad example. Is it weird I like Jacob better now? Probably weird.

Next week Claire gets to the house, which is sure to be awkward and creepy in a hundred ways, and Roderick starts to challenge Joe. Saw that one coming. I guess Ryan and the FBI will keep looking for their house? I know they have plans to kill more people so that’s happening next. Seriously how do they not know where the house is? Okay. Well, more later!